Daniel 9:24 - "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."

Daniel was perplexed, he could not understand: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." (Daniel 8:14) In prophecy a day is given for a year. (Numbers 14:34; Eze. 4:6) This prophecy will go into the future for two thousand three hundred years.

The angel Gabriel was sent to explain the vision to Daniel: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city..." (Daniel 9:24) In another words, from the two thousand three hundred years, seventy prophetic weeks or four hundred and ninety continuous years are cut off for thy people, for the Jewish nation.

When to begin the countdown? The angel said: "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to built Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (Dan. 9:25)

Three decrees were given to build in Jerusalem:

King Cyrus, 536 BC to build Temple. (Ezra 1:2, 3)

Darius, 519 BC to continue building. (Ezra 6:8-12)

Artaxerxes, 457 BC To build and restore Jerusalem,
to set national autonomy. (Ezra 7:12-26)

The 457 BC decree given by King Artaxerxes gave the Jews the starting point for their political existence with the setting of magistrates and own government under the auspices of Medo-Persia. From 457 BC unto the Messiah Prince should be sixty nine prophetic weeks or 483 years. Is it true? Yes indeed, "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar..." (Luke 3:1) This year corresponds to the year 27 AD when John the Baptist began calling to repentance and baptizing in the river Jordan.

Jesus, about 30, was waiting for the appointed time in the prophecy: "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21, 22) Here, Jesus was anointed as the Messiah in the autumn of 27 AD to begin his ministry of 3½ years. It was a precise fulfillment of God's prophecy.

There is no gap in God's time, the seventieth week goes right after the sixty-ninth week. The seven years of the seventieth week start on 27 AD and end on 34 AD, ending also the focus of the prophecy on the Jewish nation. The focus of prophecy for the last days is not anymore on old Jerusalem but on the active players of the end: the Papacy and the United States of America. (Rev. 13)

"And after threescore and two weeks (69 - 7 = 62)
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself... And
in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease..." (Dan. 9:26,27) The
Messiah was crucified after 3½ years, in the middle
of the week, putting an end to the system of sacrifices
in the Temple for the sins of the people. The Lamb of
God had given his blood and life, once for all, for the
redemption of the human race. For another 3½ years
the disciples continued confirming the covenant with
the house of Israel, telling them that Jesus was the
promised Messiah for their own salvation. But on 34 AD
the ruling body could not tolerate any longer the preaching
of a Christ resurrected and head of the body of believers.
And the last prophetic voice to close the 70th week for
the Jewish nation came from the mouth of Stephen as he
was to be stoned: "Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
(Acts 7:56) The persecution dispersed the church to most
cities around, and the preaching went also to the Gentiles.
This was a precise fulfillment of the events on the seventieth
week of Daniel 9: 24-27.

Because of delayed mercy, a few years of waiting were given to the Jews before "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary..." On 70 AD the Roman army under Prince Titus brought destruction, ruin, and the prophesied desolation to Jerusalem. (Dan. 9:26)

With the
seventy weeks the
Messiah brought for
us reconciliation, salvation
and justification.
The sacrifice
of the
Lamb of God on
the cross
of Calvary
made provision for
all human
beings
on earth to
obtain
salvation; but
not all people
are saved,
because there is freedom of choice: you can
choose to follow Jesus and be saved for life eternal,
or you can choose the selfish, lawless and rebellious
life of the devil and be lost together with the
many people
who are following
other gods.
Ascending to
heaven
to "anoint the
most
Holy" Jesus
entered
the
Heavenly
Sanctuary where
He
was
anointed as
'the
High
Priest, Mediator
of
the New
Covenant.'
There He
applies
the merits
of
His blood
for
the remission
of
sins
of
all
who come
to
Him. The
tabernacle of
Moses
and Aaron
was
only a
shadow
or
figure
of
the true
Sanctuary in
heaven,
but
it
teaches
us, to
be
able
to see,
by
faith,
our
High
Priest ministering
in
favor
of
His
followers.
The Advocate,
now
in
the
Judgment, has
the
power
to
place
His
pure
and
just life
over
the
penitent
sinner,
and
by
grace,
grant
him
eternal
life
with
his name
written
in
the
Book
of
Life.

If the seventy weeks of Daniel 9: 24 had a precise fulfillment pointing out the ministry of the Messiah on earth from the Autumn of 27 AD to the Spring of 31 AD, then by faith, the believer can see also the end of the 2300 years and Christ-the Most High Priest and Advocate entering the Judgment with mercy and justice to grant his saving grace to the heirs of the Kingdom of God. (Daniel 7: 9, 10, 13; Hebrews 7, 8, 9; 1 John 2:1)

No one on earth can judge who is saved or lost, only "the Lord, the righteous judge." (2 Tim. 4: 8) Blessed are those whose names "are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27) When Christ comes, if they are dead, at the last trumpet, they will raise up with a new body; if they are alive, their earthly body will be changed in a twinkling of an eye into a glorious new body ready to ascend to Jesus and accompany him to the heavenly mansions for a thousand years. (1 Thessa. 4: 14-17)